1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a television receiver having an electronic mail function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the electronic mail exchanging messages over a communication network is becoming popular. The electronic mail system operates on workstations or personal computers distributed over the network.
Also, as the functions built into a television receiver for household use become sophisticated, a television receiver having the function of receiving the teletext, or the interactive communication function, or a television receiver having the function of electronic mail transmission/reception, is becoming popular.
Meanwhile, in a television receiver having the electronic mail function, access to the electronic mail is had as an entire image of the electronic mail is displayed on the screen, so that both the television picture and the electronic mail cannot be seen simultaneously. Moreover, if desired to check the contents of the electronic mail as the viewer is seeing the television picture, it is necessary for the viewer to switch to the electronic mail picture. Thus, if plural viewers are seeing the television picture simultaneously, and one of them accesses to the electronic mail, the screen is switched to the electronic mail picture, so that the other viewers cannot see the television picture.